On the night of March 27, Ukrainian drones attacked two major industrial facilities in Russia simultaneously — a chemical plant in Cherepovets (Vologda region) and an oil refinery in Yaroslavl. The scale of the targets goes far beyond "another routine strike."
Cherepovets: more than just a "fertilizer plant"
Cherepovets is home to the enterprise JSC "Apatit" — according to the company itself, Europe's largest manufacturer of phosphorus-containing fertilizers, phosphoric and sulfuric acids, as well as one of Russia's leading producers of ammonium nitrate. That same ammonium nitrate is used in the production of explosives for ammunition.
Vologda region Governor Georgy Filimonov initially claimed there were no casualties and no damage to critical infrastructure. In reality, according to MarketScreener citing PhosAgro, five people were wounded, and a sulfuric acid leak occurred. The company assured that the leak was "localized and no emissions of hazardous substances occurred."
"When drones destroy both production and transshipment terminals — the entire industrial northwest of Russia falls into a coma."
Sergiy Misyura, military analyst at Armiya TV
The logic of the strike becomes clearer when considering the context: over 70% of "Apatit's" products were previously shipped through terminals in Ust-Luga — a port that also came under attack. Striking both the manufacturer and the sales channel simultaneously — this is no coincidence.
Yaroslavl: a plant that already burned
The oil refinery in Yaroslavl — Slavneft-YANOS — is located over 700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, which had long been considered a safe distance. As RBC-Ukraine reports, this is not the first strike: the plant was attacked in January 2024 and December 2025.
Yaroslavl region Governor Mikhail Evraev reported intercepting over 30 drones without specifying damage details. Video footage from the scene circulating on social media showed a fire on the refinery territory.
What this means for Russian exports
According to UAWire, Russia's oil exports have already declined by 40% due to systematic strikes on oil infrastructure. Add to this strikes on the chemical industry — a source of foreign currency not covered by oil sanctions — and the picture becomes clear: Ukraine is consistently attacking the nodes where Russia makes money to continue the war.
- "Apatit" — sulfuric acid, phosphoric fertilizers, ammonium nitrate (dual use: agriculture + defense industry)
- Slavneft-YANOS — one of Central Russia's key refineries
- Ust-Luga — the main terminal for chemical exports from Russia's Northwest
No official confirmation came from Ukrainian military — this is standard practice for deep rear strikes.
If Ukraine continues to simultaneously strike chemical export production capacities and logistics, Russia will either redirect currency flows through other channels — or face a real shortage of raw materials for its own defense industry. The question is whether "Apatit" will manage to restore capacity before the logistics hub in Ust-Luga becomes operational again.
